Stretch's reading commentary for 2013

Books Read 2013:

Fiction:
Going Bovine by Libba Bray (12/15/12)
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (12/20/12)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (12/28/12)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (2/19/13)
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (2/24/13)
Fool: A Novel by Christopher Moore (3/11/13)
One Man's Justice by Akira Yoshimura (4/4/13)
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (4/9/13)
The Sea and Little Fishes by Terry Pratchett (4/16/13)
The Gates by John Connolly (4/18/13)
2 B R O 2 B by Kurt Vonnegut (4/19/13)
The Big Trip Up Yonder by Kurt Vonnegut (4/19/13)
The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell (5/5/13)
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (5/7/13)
The Tenth of December by George Saunders (6/2/13)
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut (8/11/13)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (8/25/13)
The Dead Pig Collector by Warren Ellis (9/4/13)
On Parole by Akira Yoshimura (10/29/13)
The Hour I first Believed by Wally Lamb (12/10/13)

Nonfiction:
A History of Geology by Gabriel Gohau (1/1/13)
Thinking about the Earth: A History of Ideas in Geology by David Oldroyd (1/27/13)
The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski (2/6/13)
Guns by Stephen King (2/10/13)
Salvador by Joan Didion (2/17/13)
Why Beer Matters by Evan Rail (3/12/13)
Seeking Palestine by Penny Johnson (4/19/13)
Rough-Hewn Land: A Geologic Journey from California to the Rocky Mountains by Keith Heyer Meldahl (6/1/13)
Bedrock: Writers on the Wonders of Geology by Lauret Savoy (7/11/13)
Scientists Anonymous : Great Stories of Women in Science by Patricia Fara (8/5/13)
The Tao of Pooh (10/16/13)
The Wisdom of John Muir by Anne Rowthorn (10/24/13)
Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy by Bret Contreras (12/4/13)

My best of 2012 list:

The Stones Cry Out by Hikaru Okuizumi
Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

Quiet: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary
Radioactive by Lauren Redniss

Previous threads:
2012 Reading
2011 Reading
2010 Reading
2009 Reading

2013 Mini-Challenge to Reduce TBR by Category (and yes I have combined two challenge groups)

1. Science Fiction
✔ 20. Galapagos

Possible:
A. Foundation
B. Ringworld
C. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

2. History
✔ 6. The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance
✔ 7. Salvador

Possible:
A. American Slavery American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia
B. This Mighty Scourge: Perspectives on the Civil War
C. Look Away!

3. Science
✗ 4. A History of Geology
✗ 5. Thinking About the Earth: A History of Ideas in Geology
✗ 17. Rough-Hewn Land: A Geologic Journey from California to the Rocky Mountains
✔ 18. Bedrock: Writers on the Wonders of Geology
✗ 19. Scientists Anonymous : Great Stories of Women in Science

Possible:
A. Consilence
B. The Dragons of Eden
C. Sand

4. Classics
✗ 8. Frankenstein

Possible:
A. Invisible Man
B. The Tale of Genji

5. Contemporary
✗ 3. The Kite Runner
✔ 12. Seeking Palestine

Possible:
A. The Stranger
B. Blood Meridian

6. Japanese
✔ 11. One Man's Justice

Possible:
A. I am Cat
B. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
C. Spring Snow

7. Horror
✔ 14. The Gates

Possible:
A. Clive barker's Books of Blood
B. Fire Starter
C. Nightmares and Dreamscapes

8. Historical Fiction
✗ 10. Fool

Possible:
A. Shiloh
B. Black Water

9. Long Term Projects
Infinite Jest

10. Graphic Novels/Humor
✔ 13. Wyrd Sisters

11. Short Story Collections
✗ 18. The Tenth of December

Possible:
A. The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories
B. Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allen Poe
C. Snow White, Blood Red

12. New books by Women Authors
✔ 1. Going Bovine
✔ 2. When She Woke
✔ 9. The Housekeeper and the Professor
✔ 15. The Death of Bees
✔ 21. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

13. American Indian Themed Books
✗ 16. The Last of the Mohicans

Possible:
A. In the Hands of the Great Spirit
B. Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee

✗ Books off the TBR as of 1/1/13
✔ Books Bought in 2013
– Subject to change and/or modification; represents good intentions and all.

Oh, I'll be reading/finishing an edition of "The Tale of Genji" in 2013 too! I'll move it forward on my TBR pile :D

That may be the push I need to actually start it this year, although I only have the abridged version. I see you read quite a bit of Manga, in the original Japanese to boot, impressive. Never really gotten into manga myself even though that was all my friends in high school ever read, that an watched anime. I'll look forward to your thoughts on those.

Ok, we'll read it together :D I tried to read it together with a friend in 2010, as we both had an English translation (I have the one by Royall Tyler (this), she had another one), but then I read a Japanese modern novelisation instead (絵草紙　源氏物語) because it read faster than the English translation... (less pages >.>) So I'm still at the very beginning of the English one, even though I really want to finish reading the English translation (it's a very detailed translation, unabridged, which is why I bought it). Now I've already read two Japanese versions of Genji, so I know the story, but the English translation has a lot of details that were removed from the novelisations I read.

Wow, stretch, I'm very impressed that you have all your reading tentatively lined up for the year. I'll be interested to hear your comments on Foundation, which I adored when I read it. I wonder if it comes across very dated these days.

The Tale Of Genji is something I was hoping to get to this year (2012), and it's still on the shelf by my bed. Perhaps we can all encourage each other!

I want to make an effort this year to chip away at my tbr pile. I went through my library and made a long list to choose from.
It's the same idea but not as organized as your list stretch.

My edition of Genji is an unabridged edition and has 54 chapters. With a bit more than 1 chapter a week, I'd have it finished in a year. I just checked and I'm already in chapter 26! Apparently I had read more than I thought already...
Still, I'm going to try and read at least one chapter a week :)
We could make a special Genji thread on the forum maybe, as now already 3 people are going to read it in 2013?

9>Yeah I did a list a couple of iterations ago, which worked reasonably well. Thought I'd try again but try to fit how my brain usually works (that is in groups rather than straight forward lists).

10> A dedicated thread sounds like a great idea. I want to clear off some of the non-fiction I have going. Perhaps we can start a group read in the spring?

Good idea :)

Yay!

I enjoyed your Japanese reading last year, and look forward to seeing your thoughts on your reading for this year.

Lots that's of interest to me or completely new to me in your lists, I look forward to your comments.

I also like the ✗and ✔ -- do you have their html codes?

Looks like you've got a good plan! :)

Hey MJ,

I;ve forgotten the HTML code that temporary blocks HTML code to reveal what the commands are. But to get check marks or X's it's just a simple character replacement of the & symbol. Remove the space between the & and #, there is no need for brackets of any kind:

✑ & #x2711;
✒ & #x2712;

✓ & #x2713;
✔ & #x2714;

✕ & #x2715;
✖ & #x2716;
✗ & #x2717;
✘ & #x2718;

★ & #9733;
½ & frac12;

Those are the useful pointers and strike marks, but there are more shapes and figures available. I don't know all the codes but you can replace any of the symbols, letters, basic line drawings on your computer if you know where it falls in the sequence.

yes that's exactly what I meant! (character codes) Do you have a reference or website you draw from? never mind, I googled some :)

✔ Thanks!

I still miss the use of style codes :-(

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini



What I knew of Afghanistan before our current war was less than nothing. Hosseini’s novel the Kite Runner shines an incredibly bright light on that ignorance. Hosseini paints a picture of a diverse and beautiful landscape with all the trappings of quickly modernizing society. It was almost idyllic. Perhaps too idyllic, there isn’t the perspective someone not from the upper middle class to check the main characters, Amir, experience. But to all accounts, it was much more peaceful time when Afghans were free to practice their own particular lifestyles and customs. The main plot centers on the friendship and later betrayal of Amir with the son of his family’s long-term servant. It is simultaneously a story of the extreme changes Afghan culture in the last four decades and a story of final redemption.

I think that the Kite Runner would have been rated much higher if I had read this three years ago, but now I think that as novel it is some pretty striking flaws. The first half of the book is probably the most compelling with its rich descriptions of life in Afghanistan before the wars and the Taliban. The description of Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover was disturbing and worth the cover price alone. There was also the interesting tension of a middle class child trying to reconcile with his distance father and come to terms with being friends with someone considered of a lower class. However, the story begins to drag when the characters move to America and Amir must come to terms with his own lack of action. There are too many opposing elements coming together at the conclusion to maintain the momentum from the first half of the book. And at times in the heat of the action, Hosseini, relied on the somewhat cheesy thriller sequence of having the hero wade successfully through snake-infested swap only to confront a grizzly bear. The insights into mysterious Afghanistan are compelling and much of the story is worth pursuing, but plot devices and trying to jam too much emotion into the final chapters just didn’t work for me.

Origin: Afghanistan
Date Published: 2004
Pages: 372
Rating: ★★½

Going Bovine by Libba Bray



A typical low achieving teenager just trying to get by, dealing with the shortcomings of parents too busy to relate to their changing son, and navigating the underbelly of the unpopular in high school contracts mad cow disease that changes his entire existence. Laid up in a hospital bed at the very beginning of his adult life, Cameron laments on the possible future he will never experience. Instead of just waiting to die Cameron sets out on a surreal adventure with a hypochondriac dwarf and a lawn gnome who believes he is a Norse god, to save the world a space-warping scientist and possibly save his own life. Oh, Cameron is guided by a pink haired, punked out angel only he seems to be able to see. None of this should work.

But it does. Going Bovine is just fun. Bray accomplishes a rare feat, the channeling a foul mouthed teenage boy without making him a flat caricature. At times it can be quite funny, even when dealing with an issue like terminal illness, Bray never lets the story take itself too seriously. She mixes glimpses of reality and wished for reality seamlessly with the narrative, confusing space and time and giving the reader the real sense that as the disease progresses that Cameron is losing his grip on reality. Going Bovine is such an entertaining well crafted novel, it’s hard to see why it has been classified as a young adult novel.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2010
Pages: 496
Rating: ★★★½

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan



I’ll admit I never made it past page 5 of the Scarlet Letter before buying the Cliff Notes. So, reading When She Woke was my amends for that slight. When She Woke is a direct allegory of the Scarlet Letter set in a modern dystopia where instead of prisons people are “chromed” a color specific to the severity of the crime. In this case the protagonist, Hannah, is chromed a red for committing the murder of her unborn child after having an affair with her preacher. Society, which is more fundamentalist, shuns the chromes, to the point where chromes average life span is only a few years. Hannah makes the choice that she isn’t going to live out her sentence in fear and believes that what she did was not wrong and that the God of society is no longer her God. So she fleas, to leave everything she has ever known and make a new life where she’ll be accepted.

When She Woke is not the most original story. Limited by choosing to stick so closely with the Scarlet Letter, Jordan creates a very believable near future dystopian novel. Christians are not well depicted in this story, and lack the nuance of real people. On the other hand the way Jordan has Hannah explore her own faith and explore the new possibilities that are newly opened to her is depicted in more realistic manner. I also didn’t care much for the ending, felt too much like one of those open ended Hollywood endings. It’s not that that is a bad way to end the novel, it’s just somehow less than satisfactory. Still a very good story none the less.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2011
Pages: 352
Rating: ★★★½

It's too bad you didn't think much of The Kite Runner. I really loved it when I read it years ago.

Hibernator: It's not so much that the Kite Runner isn't a good book. I think my judgement comes from a combination of knowing someone from Afghanistan as a research advisor whose stories about the old Afghan compared what it's like now and comparing it to books I've read in the last two years built an impossible expectation that it could never live up to.

Interesting about The Kite Runner. I read it perhaps 8 years ago and loved it but agree the latter part was weaker. A couple years later, I disliked his follow-up (A Thousand Splendid Suns). I'm in the vast minority, but it felt like Hosseini was trying too hard to give a history lesson. Maybe, as you wrote, by then I was already more familiar with Afghanistan?

Also a bit intrigued by Going Bovine, especially that some have tagged it “Don Quixote.” Wondering if you felt that in the quest, too?

MJ: I wouldn't describe it that way, but I can see were someone might see Don Quixote instances. Then again any adventure story involving the protagonist chasing hopelessly fruitless adventure could be said to be in the vein of Don Quixote.

I would liken Going Bovine with American Gods.

Interesting review of The Kite Runner kevin.

I agree with you, Going Bovine really, really should not work, and the fact that it does anyway is surprising and very cool

I have both The Kite Runner and When She Woke on the (far too large) TBR Pile, and, despite your mixed reactions, am looking forward to reading both of them... sometime. I hadn't realized that When She Woke was based so closely on The Scarlet Letter, though. I kind of hated that book when I was forced to read it for school, but I think I probably mostly hated it because I was forced to read it for school.

Bragan: I should also note that Going Bovine's acknowledgment section is funny and entertaining by itself.

I think when She Woke is worth reading, it is very well written and is solid effort. My lowish rating is based on the lack of originality as dystopian novel and for how tightly it holds to the Letter. But really I just like fade away endings.

And I'm probably being bit harsh with the Kite Runner. Clearly its a minority opinion and I hope it hasn't discouraged you too much. :)

Fear not, I am undiscouraged!

Going Bovine looks really interesting and quirky. I'll be adding that to my (ever-growing) list...

Catching up here, finally...so the first thing that jumps out is A History of Geology by Gabriel Gohau. Hoping to hear more about it, wondering whether I should read it.

Great review of Going Bovine and very interesting take on the Kite Runner. Funny how much I was caught up with it when I read it, in 2005.

I hope to comment on A History of Geology when I Finish Thinking About the Earth, since they are very similar. Now just waiting to to get my second copy to finish the last 60 pages.

Thinking About the Earth has a better title...

I took a look at Thinking About the Earth on amazon. It looks like a well written interesting book. Geology is a topic I have not read much about. I look forward to your review.

Thinking About the Earth: A History of Ideas in Geology by David Oldroyd



Origin: Australia
Date Published: 1996
Pages: 310
Rating: ★★★★★

A History of Geology by Gabriel Gohau



Origin: French
Date Published: 1991
Pages: 216
Rating: ★★★

I'm going to comment of both of these books in the same post because they essentially cover the same territory; the history of geology as a science. From its earliest beginnings in Antiquity to cutting edge plate tectonics. The early history of geology is full of great thinkers theorizing about the Earth and its formation with little hard evidence, slowly evolving into a gentlemen hobby of th 19th century, and finally mature science with testable hypothesis and through procedures for data collection. Basically the story of pretty much any of the sciences. Both these books are through compelling histories, but there differences and geared to for different audiences.

A History of Geology is more or less the 30,000 feet version. Gohau was not as concerned with the minutiae and details of geology, as he is with the larger trends and major movements. The language is easy to understand and Gohau explains the geologic words not in the familiar vernacular of the lay person. There is however, a pretty strong European bias, you won't find very many names of folks outside of Continental Europe in this book. And at times Gohau downplays the contributions of Geologist outside of Europe to build up some of the lesser known or forgotten French and German scientist, which is something of a problem considering that places like Britain, the United States, Japan, and Australia are some the most important centers for geologic thinking of the 20th and 21st centuries. But sense Gohau is more concerned with the big picture, his Europe centric views are not as big of a problem as they sound. This is the perfectly serviceable introduction for those that might be interested in the history of a (I think) fascinating science.

Thinking About the Earth is in a different league. Oldroyd is concerned with the minutiae and the reader will be inundated with the names of not so famous scientist and thinkers that pushed the earliest beginnings of a collection speculative notions to the rigorous science of today. The names and terminology Oldroyd uses can be overwhelming if the reader is not well versed in geology. The writing is more academic than a History of Geology, which doesn't make it any easier as a read, but the effort is worth it. Thinking About the Earth is detailed and comprehensive in its coverage, it's very well possible to come away with a complete understanding of evolution of geology. This is a must have for any student of the history of science or geology. I recommend this to geologist and brave readers with a good dictionary or access to wikipedia.

ETA: Thinking About the Earth second to last chapter deals with what Oldroyd thinks are the next big thing in Earth Science, including the Gaia hypothesis of a self regulating Earth. Which seems like a good metaphor, but I can't see this becoming anything like a scientific theory in the near future. Otherwise Oldroyd doesn't delve into too much speculation and fringe ideas.

You have just sold another copy for Oldroyd.

ETA (wrote the above on Jan 28)...but wow, expensive. $60 is about the cheapest I can find it.

The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski

*1st draft of this review written with a General’s Layout (Extra Black) No.555 B-core pencil



The pencil is such a simple piece of technology that it is often ignored. No one gives it a second thought to lose a pencil or throw one away. In fact, it’s the only piece of property that we lend to perfect strangers with little or no expectations of it being returned. The pencil is just everyday debris, a technology so common that we don’t even think of it as technology. And yet a tremendous amount of engineering, imagination, and hard work of thousands of people has gone into the simple, humble wood case pencil. Such a simple technology that has played such an important role in art and science, in everyday writing, and in every students learning experience deserves more credit then we give it.

Henry Petroski has taken on the challenge to track down and retell the history of the pencil in all its wonderful minutia. Starting from its murky origin through its industrialization to its place in our modern society (of the early 1990’s) the pencil has had an incredibly complex history and mix of economics and creativity that is inherit to any engineering endeavor. For Petroski the history of the pencil is a perfect metaphor for what he calls the engineering method. He makes a pretty convincing argument for treating the practice of engineering in the same manner that we treat the scientific method. It doesn’t take Petroski much arguing to convince the reader that engineering is so pervasive in our everyday lives, that it warrants more study of how engineers perform their jobs and make the things we simply can’t live without. However, since much of engineering is tied up in drawings and diagrams of designs and solutions, that there simply aren’t enough eloquent engineers to explain the process to the public in the same ways as popularizers of science.

Luckily, Petroski is an eloquent historian, whose enthusiasm for his subjects is infectious. Now full disclosure here, I’m something of a wood case enthusiast, so I need little selling on the arcane history of the pencil. For most folks it’s a bit of harder sale, which is understandable of course. But Petroski does such a good job of making the history relatable and easy to read that it feels more like reading a general history rather than a dry history of some dull everyday object. It’s not a page turner by any means, but I think there is enough information and enough exploration of the engineering methodology to keep anyone interested until the end. Then again I could be completely blinded by love of the pencil that this could all be completely terrible and not worth reading. So yeah, I thought it was great, not sure if everyone else will.

Bit of irony: I’m a insistent that the pencil is the best writing instrument ever conceived, but I read this book on a kindle.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 1992
Pages: 448
Rating: ★★★★

You've reviewed a book that I probably wouldn't have picked up, and made it seem interesting. Haven't used a pencil since the introduction of, well, we call them "pacers" here in South Africa. You know, those refillable click-pens with the pieces of graphite? Not sure what they're called overseas.

Hi, just popping in to say thanks for the comments on the geology books. My daughter is in her first year of college, and is strongly considering a geology major. I may consider reading the 30,000 foot version.

>39 dmsteyn:: Here in the United States they are called Mechanical Pencils. Pacers are another common name used in the early marketing of some the first automatic pencils manufactured in the 1890's. Curious that the name stuck. Oh god, I've filled my head with the most useless knowledge ever.

>41 stretch:: Thanks for stopping by! I hope you find the History of Geology useful. We have a list of geology books going in the Geology group that you and your daughter might find useful if she is exploring a geology as a major: the list

>38 stretch: As a school supply addict, I'm happy to know that there is a book dedicated to the history of pencils and someone dedicated enough to read it. :)

Fascinating review of The Pencil -- that one and The Engineer's Alphabet have been on my TBR list ever since I read his Book on the Bookshelf.

>42 avidmom:: Avidmom, Yeah most people call it an obession, I like the idea of thinking of it as dedication.

>43 NielsenGW:: Henry Petroski has so many othe books i want to read now. How was the Book on the Bookshelf? It is so hard to resist the book of his on the toothpick.

Bookshelf was very interesting for me. But since you were enthrall by the pencil, I suspect you'll get the same strange satisfaction in learning all about historical shelving units.

But, then again, I'm a sucker for odd object biographies. I've got ones on snowmen, sand, phone books, punctuation, JELL-O, etc.

Oh wow, that list is awesome. I'm sure I'll get some gift ideas out of it, too. Thanks for pointing it out!

Your pencilled review is awesome! Have you heard of How to Sharpen Pencils?

>47 Rise:: Thanks Rise! How to Sharpen Pencils is my next pencil related books. MJ's review from last year has convinced me that David Rees treats the subject with the necessary care while being a fun read. David Rees is something of a hero to the pencil blogosphere, but it's a bit too hipster for me to pay to have sharpened pencil.

Hi Stretch - New to this group and checking in. Just reserved The Book on the Bookshelf. Thanks.

Kite Runner wasn't one of my favorites - the betrayal of friendship was too painful.

I look forward to following your thread.

Merrikay

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing better than a good pencil is a good fountain pen. Plus, the fountain pen doesn't need resharpened after every five words. (What? I like a *really* sharp pencil.)

I've never been that fond of the pen in any of its forms, but a good sharpener is a must for the wood case pencil lovers.

>*1st draft of this review written with a General’s Layout (Extra Black) No.555 B-core pencil
Best part of a terrific review! I too am interested in a number of Henry Petroski's topics but have hesitated because of neutral-to-good ratings. I'm happy to read your comments and expect that I'll feel similarly.

Thanks also for the link to the geology book list thread. I actively avoided earth sciences in school and have grown fascinated and eager to remedy that.

"...but a good sharpener is a must for the wood case pencil lovers."

Exactly! I'm not a big fan of mechanical pencils, although I do keep one in my purse because I can retract the lead, keeping the point from getting broken off. I didn't like pens until I bought a fountain pen. It changed my life. (Well, not really, but it did improve my handwriting.)

Has anyone noticed differences in your handwriting depending on whether you're using a pen or pencil? Or is it just me? When I use a pencil and cursive, the up/down strokes on letters like b, d, and p and the loops on letters like j and y are "swooshier" than when I use a pen and cursive. When I print, it's all about the same.

53 -
When I write in Japanese my handwriting changes a lot between pen and pencil in that it starts to get messy and inconsistent with pen. The pencil feels like a paintbrush when I write, however, allowing for better strokes and thus better Japanese. In roman characters however, my handwriting is more or less the same but perhaps there is more or less "swooshyness" due the brush feeling of a piece of lead.

My handwriting is so small it's hard to tell if there is any real difference whatever writing instrument I use.

>54 lilisin:: The pencil is actually named after a paintbrush used by artist to sketch their lines. It's interesting that you compare the feel of the lead to that of a paintbrush.

I can't call myself a fan of the pencil -- these days, I think I touch one maybe once a year -- but this one is going on my wishlist, anyway. I do remember liking The Book on the Bookshelf.

Hi Stretch I'm enjoying your thread here, which I'm just catching up with. Liked your review of The Pencil and the ensuing discussion! Use a regular lead pencil all the time when I'm out surveying trees. Never fails me in all weathers...but I do use a retractable pencil as well. As a kid in an English school circa1970s we were all taught to write with fountain pens. Never use one of those now, although somehow I wish that I did!

Hey Polaris, glad your enjoying the thread. In my profession we have to use pen in the field for the unlikely event we get dragged into some lawsuit. So I only get to write in pencil in the office or for personal use. Mechanical pencils have never been my thing, I write much too hard for the leads and they break far too often in my hands to be useful. I've never tried a fountain pen before, perhaps I should. I like those stainless steal zebra ballpoint pens, that feel like a pencil and their line almost looks like a pencils, plus the don't freeze in vest during the winter.

Charmed by your pencil review.

Salvador by Joan Didion



Salvador is Didion's account her 2-week trip to El Salvador in 1982, then a country in the early stages of a 12 year brutal civil war. Her opening report describes some of the carnage and the everyday terror Salvadorans experience. The opening report is a vividly disturbing picture of just how cruel we can be to one another. From there Didion describes her encounters with various powerful citizens and American embassy officials, who relate the corruption and the utter confusion that permeates this civil war from the top to the bottom. From these interviews it is fairly plan to see that the Salvadorans and those in charge have become desensitized to the violence and disappearances, and are largely apathetic to any reforms proposed by the government. Yet the terror is still very much with them without abatement. Reconciliation is clearly not on the table and the average citizen has no hope that this war is ending soon. Also, discussed to some extent is the ineffectiveness of the U.S. Foreign policy in the murkiness of the civil war. A war in which our allies are more content with the continuation of this war in order to consolidate power rather than fight over ideological outcome or for a greater purpose. In the wake of needless bloodshed on such a massive scale, all an ambassador can do is work towards small victories like trials before executions and doing everything possible to insure the safety of the citizens in their charge.

Salvador is not a factual history of the war in 1982. It is, however, the war seen through the eyes of a journalist with limited time and resources in country. Bias is inherit in this kind of journalism and time and events told second hand become as fluid as the eye witness accounts. Didion tries to elevate these problems by sprinkling quotes and statements taken from official and vetted sources related to story is she is conveying. It's a one-sided truth, but I have not doubt that it is the truth to Didion. So while it's not a scholarly account of the events taking place in El Salvador in 1982, it is an invaluable piece that gives voice to the experiences and horrific events that shaped the lives of Salvadorans for over a decade.

Advice for other writers: Do not attempt to write like Didion unless your name is Didion. She does things with her sentence structure I didn't think was possible. At no point in my wildest imagination would paragraph sized sentence featuring a colon, a semi-colon, eight commas, and two sets of parentheses come off as anything but a clunky mess. Yet Didion's prose is so smooth and her phrasing so good that I hardly ever took notice of her peculiar style. She spews words onto the page and it comes out as a coherent, well constructed thought. She's a remarkable talent.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 1983
Pages: 108
Rating: ★★★★½

I'm seeing Didion everywhere on LT these days . . . must be a sign I need to get to her.

Yes - someone else was reviewing Didion and I just got this book from the library - it will be my first Didion.

Advice for other writers: Do not attempt to write like Didion unless your name is Didion.

Wonderful advice. I thought this was a superb book.

>62 mkboylan:: I can't remeber who started the Didion craze around here, but Detailmuse's review of Play it as it lays , that got me motivated enough to see if I could find a book by her at the local used book store. Where I happened to find Salvador, which is also my first by her. I've become a fan, but then I like most of the new journalist.

ETA: I meant Slouching Towards Bethlehem not Play it as it lays.

>63 SassyLassy:: I've come to like it more and more. I need to bite the bullet and buy more of her works.

Good stuff on Didion. This is a book I would really like to read sometime. It apparently leads to her next book, Miami, which I read in January.

(Side note - Salvador was originally published in 1983: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_%28book%29 )

Thanks for the info Dan. That publication date didn't seem right. I don't know what the next Didion book I pick up but Miami will be high on the list from your excellent review.

By the way, the movie Salvador is one of my all time favorite movies, based on true story - wonderful movie, very enlightening.

>stretch good review and yay for your spontaneity! I have books sort of queued up; a small pleasure like getting a new book and reading it through sounds thrilling.

Catching up. I'm adding The Pencil to my wish list -- I do like them. Coincidentally, General's layout pencil is my favorite general sketching pencil.

A wonderful review of Salvador, Kevin. I own the Everyman's Library edition of her collected nonfiction, We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, and hope soon to settle into one of her works. But so far I have just been grazing, enjoying the process of making a selection.

>MJ: It was worth the detour. My plans are fluid, I don't have enough discipline to stick with a schedule.

>69 RidgewayGirl:: Thanks Alison! The General Layout is a go to pencil for sketching and drawing when the mood strikes. It's certainly a cheaper option than the Ebony. A bit darker in my opinion too. Wish they would put a nice eraser on it though.

>Linda: Thanks! The Everyman's library edition of her work looks like a must have.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa



A gifted mathematician, after suffering a terrible accident is left with a memory that only last for 80 minutes. His world is reduced to solving puzzles from mathematic journals. His only connection with the larger world and important events in his life is through the handwritten notes clipped to his worn out suits. Unable to form lasting relationships with anyone new, he’s stuck in the past that no longer exists. Isolated from the world, it’s left to his widowed sister-in-law to be his caretaker. To this end, she hires a series of housekeepers to tend to the “professor’s” few needs and to keep his shack of a home from deteriorating any further. Meeting new people for the professor and the person in question is a daunting experience that must be repeated every day. The only connection the professor can form with these people is through their numbers (birth date, age, height, shoe size, etc.); and finding the interplay those numbers have with the only world he understands, mathematics. Enter an under educated housekeeper devoted to her work and her nine year old son (an avid baseball fan) who shake the professor’s self constructed reality to reveal a fully fledged person.

The Housekeeper and the Professor is about friendship and the bonds people form when they are open to receiving each other’s flaws as well as their gifts. It’s about to torn families coming together to form a new family built from the tragedies each has experienced. It’s about overcoming isolation and opening up to possibility. All wrapped in the beautifully understated prose of Yoko Ogawa.

Origin: Japan
Date Published: 2009
Pages: 192
Rating: ★★★★

That's been sitting on my wishlist for over three years now. Nice review, you've encouraged me further.

That sounds like something I might like.

I enjoyed your review of The Housekeeper and the Professor very much. Humanity brings possibility out of tragedy. A beautiful message for a world obsessed with money, technology and multi-tasking.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley



I can see why this is a classic, but I felt it was a lot of build up to a fairly anti-climatic ending. I also, didn't care for the structure.

Origin: UK
Date Published: 1818
Pages: 256
Rating: ★★

Fool by Christopher Moore



Not one of Moore's best. This one lacked the cleverness of his other books, instead it went for cheap jokes and adolescent humor. Parts of it were funny for sure, but overall it was mostly a flat parody of King Lear. I'll of course read more of Moore, just not too soon.

But I did learn one thing: I have seriously mixed up the plots of King Lear and Macbeth.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2009
Pages: 310
Rating: ★★½

well...that's the one Moore I own. Oh well...I haven't read King Lear (or Macbeth) yet, anyway.

I've only read one Moore - A Dirty Job. I really enjoyed that one.

I"m a Moore fan too. I just picked up Lamb, ebook version.

I really do like Moore's books. My favorite being A Dirty Job and he's quite the funny humorist. In a lot of ways I think being beholden to such a well know work limited what Moore could do with the story. I think a weakness of parody are the restrictions of having to stick with such a strict outline. Not a lot of wiggle room in my estimation for Moore's typical outlandish style of humor seen in his other works. Plus, I think a Jester from a royal court also, forced Moore to use a particular mold for the character that was both atypical but still a little familar of his other main protagonist. With all that being said I still think there is room for a lot of enjoyment with this book. It still has plenty of humor and is a well constructed parody. I just think Moore's other books are much better, hence a fairly low rating by me.

And Dan don't worry about reading Lear or Macbeth. I've read both and apparently have no working knowledge of either. So learning complete works of Shakespeare not as useful as English lit teachers think.

Nice review of The Housekeeper and the Professor! I've been thinking of reading that book. Looks good!

Funny, I thought I'd read Moore, but looking through his works, apparently not. Thanks for the comments on Fool - looks best to start elsewhere. A Dirty Job definitely looks appealing.

Just for an alternate take: I enjoyed Fool and believe that it illuminated my reading of King Lear. The other book I have read by Moore is Lamb which I thought was very good even if not great; I have Fluke for an eventual return to the author.

Robert

My first Moore was The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror and I think it's a great place to begin if you've not read him before.

Just finished and reviewed Salvador by Didion and enjoyed it very much. Thanks again for your review.

Great! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

One Man’s Justice by Akira Yoshimura



One Man’s Justice is a poignant account of defeat told from a loyal Japanese solider turned war criminal fugitive. It’s a story about the hardships and humiliating sting of a defeated nation. It’s a story of how war can twist moral absolute truths and makes the indefensible justified. And it’s a story of how world politics can making what should be the solid ground of justice a murky and incomprehensible fog.

At a time when the once proud Japan is reduced to rubble and humiliated by surrender an act otherwise unthinkable by traditional standards becomes the only option for a group of frustrated solders not ready to give up the fight. With the firebombing of entire cities and the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulting in thousands of civilian deaths, the lives of American POWs not only become dispensable but also are taken as an act of revenge for the atrocities of others. As a participant in the executions of American POWs, our loyal Lieutenant Takuya, is labeled a war criminal by the conquering United States, which at the time is automatic death sentence. Unable to bear the thought of execution for an act that Takuya doesn’t consider a crime and as a soldier was only following the orders of superiors, he must flee and become a fugitive in war torn Japan. Without a functioning economy or an adequate food supply, the Japanese road to recovery is full hardships for the average citizen; for a fugitive like Takuya the additional stress of being caught by the authorities is almost unbearable. Not to mention the humiliation of being the subjects of a military occupation where the Japanese people have no real control over their lives and now must adjust to this idea of democracy. Nothing in Takuya’s life is steady or certain; except for the idea if caught, he will be executed for his actions. However, world affairs and time has made justice in Japan malleable and more forgiving. So even his idea of justice becomes unattainable and Takuya’s foundations crumble like the old Japan he once knew.

Yoshimura has a way of taking a simple story and making it a complex exploration of what grounds us as human beings. In One Man’s Justice explores the idea of right and wrong and how the that perception changes in a given circumstance, generationally, and over time. To Yoshimura an absolute right or wrong is not absolute given the right set of circumstances. Take a confused, self-deluded product of a strict and disturbing moral order, facing defeat and humiliation at the hands of the enemy and pretty much any action can be rationalized at the moment. However, with time that rationalization disappears and what’s left is a haunting memory and broken life. What’s particularly remarkable about this book is that it’s a clear-eyed account of a defeated nation. Yoshimura doesn’t shy away from the anger felt by a people who have been firebombed and subjected to the 1st and so far last atomic bombings. And he’s not a afraid to air the atrocities committed by Japan. In some measure this is to show how the inequality of outcomes for war criminals depends on the victors. How a few soldiers killing of a handful of POWs outweighs the death of thousands of civilians at the hands of hundreds of B-29 raids is fundamentally unfair and should be treated as wrong if justice is to be applied equally to everyone.

Origin: Japan
Date Published: 1978
Pages: 276
Rating: ★★ ★ ★½

Whoa that sounds absolutely fascinating! especially following on my reading of The Bells of Nagasaki. Thanks for the very excellent review.

Excellent review of One Man's Justice, Kevin!

I really enjoyed Yoshimura's Shipwrecks and I have his Storm Rider on the TBR; this sounds like another one to look for.

Enjoyed reading your thoughts on One man's Justice

I've been waiting to get my hands on that Yoshimura. I'll have to look harder.

Thanks everyone! Akira Yoshimura is now one of my favorite authors. His works seem so simple but they are much more complex than first blush. I can't adequately convey all the parts of One Man's Justice that make it such a great work of fiction.

>Rebecca: I read Storm Rider for my 1st Yoshimura book. It is not the same caliber of his other books in my opinion. It's wierdly disjointed compared to the Shipwrecks or One Man's Justice. But it's still interesting in its own way for the period of Japan the story is set in. In retrospect I actually think it is perhaps a bit better than I first thought. I still think about it nearly a year after I read it, so there must have been something there.

Interesting about Storm Rider, but I'll probably read it (eventually) since I actually own it!

Your review of One Man's Justice was very well written and I enjoyed it very much. The story seemed to illustrate very well some of the differences between Eastern and Western culture. I think that the author's discussion of the B-29 raids makes a very important point. More people were killed in those attacks, whose only purpose was to terrorize the civilian population, than in the in the dropping of the atomic bombs.

Thanks for the review of One Man's Justice - it sounds fascinating.

>96 wildbill:: I think One Man's Justice is great example of the difference between Western and Eastern approaches to writing. I can't imagine a book written by a German after WW2 that would unflinchingly examine what it means to be a defeated people nor one that doesn't shy away from the atrocities committed by the enemy and to the enemy like One Man's justice, Black Rain, Fires on the Plain, or The Sea and Poison. They are ugly topics that are difficult to rationale but none of these writers attempted to sugar coat the ugly. They all told it as it appeared to them and let us the readers come to our own conclusions. That's one of the many reasons I've come to appreciate Japanese Literature, there seems to be an implicit trust between the author and reader that I don't see nearly as often in more Western books.

A couple of quick drive-by comments:

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett



I love the disc and all its complexity. The witches are a great cast of characters and I love the fact that they are independents, not ready to accept others judgment. Their individual personalities are such a great mix, but the plot felt a bit flat and there wasn't a whole lot of humor in this particular book. I think I'm just a little burned out on Pratchett's style. I still have a lot of the Discworld to explore, but my enthusiasm has waned just a little. I'm probably going to hold off for a little while longer between disc novels.

Origin: UK
Date Published: 1988
Pages: 288
Rating: ★★ ½
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The Gates by John Connolly



A book definitely geared towards a younger audience was certainly a fun and easy read. Parts of it were in fact quite humorous, but there were chapters that lagged for me and interrupted the flow of the story. This one seemed like a drawn out short story with a few too many bit players to fill this out to a full length novel. To me The Gates was just shallower compared to his other young adult novel The Book of Lost Things. Serious props though to Connolly for not dumping down the science-y bits for his younger audience. Still need to get around to his adult supernatural, mystery series, I've heard good things.

Origin: Ireland
Date Published: 2009
Pages: 296
Rating: ★★ ½
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Seeking Palestine by Penny Johnson



Avaland has already put together a great review of this collection tremendously wonderful essays here. So I'll just add a quick summary: {seeking Palestine is collection of essays written by Palestinian authors about their thoughts and feelings on exile and home. And I'll say that this is an absolutely superb collection of essays and poetry, not a weak one in the bunch. The editors and authors of this volume have done some great work.

However, I think a part of me failed to connect with what these authors were expressing. I can understand their disenfranchisement as people without a nation. And I understand the frustration with the peace process. From my perspective it's pretty much a one way street with Palestinians getting shafted out of their homes and right to self government. I don't agree with much of what Israel does with the settlement and border issues. And the Palestinians use of terror and rockets is deplorable. There certainly aren't any easy answers to this conflict. The part of this collection of essays I don't get is the inability to let go of the past. I guess sense my family has always been semi-nomadic it has influenced the way I view people who get stuck in one mindset and are unable to detach themselves from something that didn't occur to them. It's important to not forget the past and its crucial to not forget the people trapped in the seemingly endless loop of violence, but on some level the 2nd and 3rd generation need to move on from their ties to a land that was never their home. Focusing on something that can never be a reality isn't helping the Palestinians. I don't know, I can't wrap my head around the need to call a particular piece of land home when it never was or never going to be home in any real sense.

The more I read about the Palestinian-Isreali conflict the more conflicted I get about what's sensible.

Origin: Palestine
Date Published: 2012
Pages: 202
Rating: ★★★★★

Perhaps the Palestinians feel it is difficult to let go of the past when that is all you have. No easy answers in that conflict as you so rightly say stretch. The essays sound well worth reading, I might be tempted.

I need to review of Seeking Palestine. I was really moved by it, and could understand their desire/need to hold on their past and their identity and history. It was a very hard book for me to read. You are right, it's a subperb anthology, without any weak contributions. I was really impressed.

I stared Wyrd Sisters a few years ago now, still haven't finished.

100 Interesting point.

Bas and Dan, intellectually understand that when you're stripped from your home and way of life and all that is left is your history you're not going to just let that go. The part that's difficult for me to connect with is that there is nothing in my own personal history that I can relate to. Coming from a long family of older parents there's to grandparents histories passed on through the generations, and given an extremely generic surname coupled with our strangely nomadic tendency it's next to impossible to track this info down once its gone. In a way this book has shown me an area my family is sadly lacking. There's an upside to believing everything is a fresh start, but there's also the fact that you are never tied to one place.

In no way is this a fault of the book. It's my own shortsightedness.

I haven't read the Palestine book, but this (holding on to the past) is by no means something that only they do. For example, I was told when I was there that the Jews of Toledo kept the keys to their houses for generations after they were expelled from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella. And I'm sure it's true of others as well.

>99 stretch: Interesting thoughts from your reading of Seeking Palestine, Stretch. And I'll be very interested in Dan's comments, too. I agree there were no weak contributions, but I thought talking about each individually would be cumbersome, so I picked favorites. I think it's a book that enlarges us, whether we can connect with that rootlessness/homesickness feeling or not. Perhaps our more transient modern culture here in the US doesn't foster a real deep sense of roots...

I thought your review of Seeking Palestine was very thought provoking. As Americans we live in the future with very little thought for the past. The Palestinians feel their future was stolen from them and constantly live in the past. To me at the bottom of the conflict with Israel is an effort to turn back the clock and rewrite the past.
I love the phrase you use about not being able to wrap your head around their attachment to land that cannot be theirs. The tragedy is the constant violence that is such a big part of this irrational obsession.

>As Americans we live in the future with very little thought for the past.
Excellent, and excellent review/posts on Seeking Palestine and history/identity. I'm looking forward to getting the collection.

Avaland and Bill I couldn't agree more. I didn't want to generalize too much, because I know my experience isn't something easily shared (moving 12 or 13 times without a parent in the military is something of a curosity for people I meet).

>104 rebeccanyc: - That's an interesting thought Rebecca on the Jews of Toledo.

Stretch, thank you for your thread, which I continue to enjoy, and your review of Seeking Palestine in particular. For personal reasons I'm fairly exhausted with the Israel-Palestine 'conflict', and have of more recent years attempted to make myself more familiar with a slightly wider - and perhaps more indirect - perspective on the region, by way of other literature, miscellaneous journal pieces, and even other cultural representations such as local cinema and music, as well as books on cookery or even football from that area. Inevitably though my attention returns to the direct issues associated with occupation, institutionalised conflict perpetuation, and mutual mistrust. This book has to go on my wishlist.

PB - I want to recommend it specifically to you...but i'm a bit worried my curiosity in your response may be corrupting my judgment. (My own response is confused.)

Thanks PB nice to see you here. The whole conflict to me feels like an endless spinning wheel. I don't predict we'll ever see anything like north Ireland's peace in this conflict. Which is very sad for all those involved.

Well, although I'm exhausted, I remain optimistic. Strange things can happen in that part of the world - Sadat's visit to Jerusalem seemingly came out of the blue... The reality is that both peoples are pretty much ready - the politicians (and the radicals in whose thrall they are) though have so much invested in one way or another that it is like getting two supertankers to perform nautical gymnastics!

I remember growing up in the 80s and hearing that Northern Ireland would never see peace as well. They are still not quite there yet, but they're too far down the road of peace to turn around now...

I feel I must share the awesomeness of this sharpener.

The Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener



This is a seriously good sharpener for your standard wood cased hexagonal, round, or triangle pencils. Very solid metal construction (body/Burr?Handle) with a great retro design. The kit comes with clamping hardware for desk use, but isn't needed since with an automatic feed/stop feature this sharpener can be used with some steady pressure and a turn of the crank. This is now my new favorite sharpener burr or otherwise.

Best Features:

1. Pencil points are very long, flat points. I mean these are really long points. No needle points to break on the very first use.

2. The automatic feeder mechanism allows you to free up a hand and stops the sharpener from chewing up your pencil too much. Stops at the prefect point every time. Feeder does leave small indents on the barrel of the pencil, but these are hardly noticable.

3. It's super quiet for a burr sharpener. Hints the classroom friendly part. Not as quiet as a hand held sharpener or a knife, but no near as loud as those wall mounted dinosaurs in every public school room.

Type: Single burr, 8mm hole.
Material: Metal body, mechanics and handle, with clear plastic receptacle tray.
Dimensions: 2½" x 2½" x 5"
Point Type: Very long and flat.
Rating: ★★★★★

I'm not a teacher, but I'm tempted to get one of those.

Love the "retro" design! I have fond memories of our childhood pencil sharpener - of course, in those days, you had to turn the handle to sharpen the pencils.

Rebecca, the crank on this sharpener is very smooth. With a single burr rather than the double burr like most of the old fashion school sharpeners it doesn't get hung up as often.

"...those wall mounted dinosaurs in every public school room."

That made me smile!

I loved discovering the one good crank in the school. It was like knowing the best secret in the world! Then I'd get annoyed when another student would break the tip of their pencil into it and jam the thing.

>113 stretch: very very nice, Kevin. I'm intrigued by the "flat point" and suppose it's the very tip not the whole length? I've seen a flat tip and it's a cool look.

Lilisin, at one time I had the entire campus of Indiana University mapped out with every pencil sharpener on campus with the exception of the Fine Arts building, rated and problems noted. Yeah, there's no coming back from that.

MJ, It's cone in profile with no flat edges, just the tip is flattened. Where something like the Kum long point or the typical wedge sharpeners with their one blades leave a very defined and sharp point that tends to crumble when pressed to paper for the 1st time. Even my standby Boston Burr sharpener leaves a bit of a needle point.



Classroom friendly point on the right, with Kum long point in the middle, and a brass bullet/wedge point on the left. Not my picture, but I do have these sharpeners and they are accurate to the kinds of points achieved. I would say the friendly sharpener's point is 1.5 times longer than the 2 step Kum long point sharpened pencil. A Boston Burr from the sixties and late fifties is about the same length just ends more pointed. My test pencils had hexagonal barrels and not the round ones as pictured, and had better cores so they are a touch longer.

Oh, I'm just drooling over the idea of getting one of those pencil sharpeners even thought I never use pencils any more!

Your pencil sharpener is nice piece of equipment stretch. Attractive design and very precise function. I think I like the brass bullet/wedge point. It looks sharp and sturdy.

I can personally atest that the both the long point and wedge points are quite sharp and are more than capable of being lodge in skin. Point protectors are a must have if you plan on pocketing any of these fine points.

The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell

"Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am Fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard.
Neither of them beloved."

These are the opening lines of a dark coming-of-age story and debut novel of Lisa O'Donnell. The subject matter here is pretty grim: two abused and neglected girls with drug addicted parents, growing up in the slums of Glasgow, scraping by on the welfare system, and trying to survive without becoming victims of the foster system after their parents untimely deaths. It is made perfectly clear that with all the pain and neglect suffered by these two young girls the death of their parents is more of a relief than a sad occasion. Forced to raise themselves from the youngest of ages both girls have become dysfunctional in different ways. The oldest has been aged beyond her years looking for love in all the wrong places, while the youngest who is slightly autistic has developed a strange distant personality she escapes to when things become stressful. And with a secret like having dead parents in the backyard, things are very stressful for these young girls with no one who cares. Except for a lonely old neighbor with his own checkered past who takes the girls in when they are at their most desperate. A family, a real family is formed and the girls are allowed to be children for the first time in their young lives. The oldest doesn’t have to be the adult and can be vulnerable while the youngest learns to be more mature and face situations more directly. Even though it’s grim in subject matter, it’s got a dark humor that is uplifting in its own way, and the girls come out the dreadful situation of their upbringing with a sense of family and love they didn’t get from their parents. I thought it was an excellent debut and in no way is this a young adult novel, too much cursing for a label like that.

Origin: Scotland
Date Published: 2012
Pages: 304
Rating: ★★★★½

Very interesting review.

Excellent review of The Death of Bees

The Last of the Mohicans by James fenimore Cooper



This was a slog to get through. Almost two months to get through this slow plodding novel. The characters are flat, the dialogue is horribly formal, and the plot moves at sluggish pace. Despite all that there is a decent adventure story underneath all the formal prose, and Hawkeye is a stand out character of the novel.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 1826
Pages: 382
Rating: ★★½

The Death of Bees sounds interesting. I think that one's going on the wishlist.

The Death of Bees sounds like an interesting read. I might need to get that when I'm feeling homesick for Glasgow...

I'm sorry that you did not enjoy The Last of the Mohicans more, Kevin. James Fenimore Cooper is a literary legend in the region of upstate New York where I live, but may be best appreciated in the context of the times during which he wrote, including having been one of the first to give Native Americans a major role in his novels. We are planning a trip to Cooperstown this summer to attend the Glimmerglass Opera. That and your review have reminded me that I have been meaning to re-read some of The Leatherstocking Tales books.

I may not have enjoyed it as mush as I would have liked, but the Last of the Mohicans was a wonderful window into the time and place. I think I've gotten too hung up on the dialogue being so formal. I know contextually it's apporpiate for the writing styles of the time, for me though it stripped the characters of their personalities. His impressions of the Native Americans and positive use in the plot is noteworthy.

Last year I reread The Last of the Mohicans for the first time since I was a child. This time around I was struck by how much the land featured in the story. I had been in that part of the world recently and was amazed at how I could visualize his story. It did take a while to get into the rhythm of the language, but then it fitted with the story so well, it was as if someone was reading it to me, instead of me reading it for myself. Cooper also seemed to have a real appreciation of the history on all sides engaged in the war. As you say though, the adventure story still comes through and Hawkeye is a stand out.

The Death of Bees sounds like a good update on Kelman's Glasgow. I'll look for it.

Rough-Hewn Land: A Geologic Journey from California to the Rocky Mountains by Keith Heyer Meldahl



When it comes to books written about geology for a general audience there is only one definitive classic: Annals of the Former World by John McPhee. It's hard to imagine that anything could really improve upon the classic, but I think Rough-Hewn Land has in many ways added to McPhee's geological chronicle across the western portion of I-80 and is a worthy companion piece. For a complete history of the assembling of California to the exhumation of the Rockies you can't go wrong with either of these books, but there are a few key differences:

The first key difference between Rough-Hewn Land and the Annals, is that Rough-Hewn Land has been written by a professional geologist, that is intimate with the geology of the western United States. McPhee uses his unique narrative style to essentially relate a very detailed interview/tour guide of a local expert. Medahl on the other hand is the expert, so his story is more coherent and complete. He also is better at relating how plate tectonics controls the dramatic landscapes of the American west. I was worried that Medahl's prose would be somewhat dry considering that he is a professor after all, but I was pleasantly surprised that his writing is not only very readable but it is also quite enjoyable. There was even a bit of humor in his writing, that is if you find geologist “humor” to be funny (Beer cans are used at one point to illustrate a concept). And if the geology bores the reader Medahl has included some asides into the regional histories like the California gold rush and why the geology of Utah doomed the Donner Party long before they got to the infamous pass named in their honor. However, it does lack the amateur enthusiasm of the McPhee's books. Medahl like most geologist is quite passionate about his subject, but it's not the kind of enthusiasm of a first discovery.

Another major difference between the Annals and Rough-Hewn Land is that Medahl has peppered pictures and block diagrams to help illustrate the more complicated bits. Geology is a very visual sort of science and without a diagram or picture it's hard to visualize what the author is talking about. The Annals completely lacks diagrams of any kind, making it more difficult to truly understand what's going on for the uninitiated. This is a big plus in favor for Rough-Hewn Land. Another huge factor in favor for Rough-Hewn Land is an appendix that list many of the outcrops complete with GPS coordinates that Medahl visited when putting this book together. So it's possible to construct a field trip along I-80 to get a first hand look at the geology.

Plate tectonics also plays a much bigger part in Rough-Hewn Land. This isn't necessarily a fault of the Annals so much as it is a matter of time. Since Annals has been written our understanding of the plate tectonics and the fault systems of the American west has increased exponentially. Medahl using a modern evidence goes so far as to say that the San Andreas may not be the western most edge of the North American Plate. Instead he proposes that the actual edge of the North American Plate is further inland near the Sierra Mountain range and that there is a smaller plate called the Sierran Plate which should be considered a separate plate from the North American Plate. A very intriguing hypothesis to say the least and the evidence for Medahl's argument is compelling. In this respect Rough-Hewn Land is a welcomed update to the Annals.

Lastly another key difference is the direction of the traverse across the western portion of the United States. Rough-Hewn Land starts on the west coast and finishes in the plains where McPhee chooses to go in the opposite direction. From my point of view this is the proper direction to tell a complete history of the west. It makes more sense to go from the younger events and work our ways backwards in time rather than going from the old to the new. This is not an intuitive notion for sure, but it just makes more sense when you are trying to put it altogether.

Rough-Hewn Land is a proper geology book, not just an update to the Annals of the Former World. I'm now adding a book to a very short list of geology books to recommend to a newly minted enthusiast. It's as enjoyable as it is informative, easy to read and understand, full of pictures and diagrams, and GPS points to get out into the field. Brilliant!

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2011
Pages: 320
Rating: ★★★★★

Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders



I didn't find any of the stories in this collection to be all that compelling. They are certainly well written, but they lacked that stick with you factor I look for in a short story. I glancing through the glossary again I can't honestly remember what most of these stories were about, with the exception of the Title Story.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2013
Pages: 272
Rating: ★★½

In other news I also gave up on Stephen King's Fire Starter.

Great review of Rough-Hewn Land and I really appreciated your comparisons to Annals of the Former World, which I read decades ago and loved. I think I'll look for Rough-Hewn Land, thanks to you.

Yes, an excellent review of Rough-Hewn Land - very enjoyable. I have had McPhee's book on my wishlist for a while, and I'm adding this one too.

I'm looking for Rough-Hewn Land also because I like McPhee, geology, AND that is one of my favorite drives!

Kevin terrific review of Rough-Hewn Land, onto the wishlist.

Awesome review of Rough-Hewn Land. And we think a lot alike. If you're curious what I mean, check out my review of Fortey's Earth: An intimate history where I compare McPhee and Fortey (paragraphs 4 & 5) in much the same way you compare Meldahl and McPhee.

Thanks everybody!

139: Thanks Dan! It is funny that was the direction we took our reviews. Although I'd have to say Meldahl is a lot better of layperson writer than Fortey. Fortey can write some killer sentences but manage to drown them in scatter shot paragraphs of details. Meldahl lacks the ability for awesome lines, but to me everything is put together better and flows properly.

Bedrock: Writers on the Wonders of Geology by Lauret Savoy, Eldridge M. Moores, and Judith E. Moores



So where do I start with a book that took me a year and half to read? Well first off I’m going to state that I think this is a great book, and I wish I had stuck to my original intention of doing snippet reviews for each piece, but that became something like homework and I found I was finding more negative things then good. Small snippets work better for fiction than non-fiction in most cases for me, so I’ll stick to that. I guess now on to something of a review then.

Bedrock is an anthology of essays, excerpts from both fiction and non-fiction works, and poetry on the various aspects of Geology and the Earth. From exploration of time to finding our place on the planet, pretty much every aspect is covered. There are some really great pieces in almost all of the sections, so many that’s it’s difficult to single out pieces. Every list I‘ve generated feels incomplete and if I include all the ones I want, I would be pretty much reproducing the table of contents. However, the works for the mountain section pretty much all stunk, which is a shame because there are some really great descriptions of mountainous landscapes out there, that don’t come from the big names that the editors choice to include. The other flaw in was that I felt like at times especially in the latter portion of the book the editors were trying to steer the reader into an almost religious reverence for the Earth, that was a bit superficial. I don’t quite buy into all of the Gaia Hypothesis conclusions. From additional research it’s easy to that the main editor of this anthology is definitely an adherent of philosophical Gaia, but they don’t push the agenda too much here.

Truly it is a fantastic read that I’ll come back to again if for nothing more than expand my reading list for all things geology related.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2006
Pages: 352
Rating: ★★★★

>excerpts from both fiction and non-fiction works, and poetry on the various aspects of Geology and the Earth
Interesting! I can imagine the nonfiction but am curious about the fiction and poetry.

We visited Wisconsin's Door County over the weekend and spent quite a while in the Ridges Sanctuary among the ridges and swales formed by Lake Michigan's rising/receding waters. Beautiful and fascinating.

Oh, you'd be surprised what you can find in the geologic poetry arena:

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2010/08/searching-for-bad-poetry-about-g...

>MJ: There's propably only 5 or so pieces of fiction in the 100 or so pieces.

They include the amazing description of Optical mineralogy from The Stones Cry Out, the description of living in the dust bowl form The grapes of Wrath, a reflection on Time from James Joyce, and a couple of others I can't recall at the moment.

Geology also features in a couple of mystery writers that use geology/soil science as a plot device, and a lot of science fiction from Julies Verne and Kim Stanley Robinson that use quite a bit of geology in their respective stories. None of them are featured here in this collection, but there is some geology in genre fiction.

Each section features a poem about the topic of the section or one closely associated with the topic. I didn't read many of them, I really don't car for poetry myself.

The Ridges Sanctuary looks like quite the beautiful place. I'll have to make way over that direction on my next fishing trip.

Sounds fascinating, but too bad about the mountain section, since I'm very fond of mountains.

I was wondering what happened to your reading of Bedrock. I'll have to tunnel under years of dust to find my copy and actually crack it open, but you have encouraged me to do that.

>Dan:

Yeah, a fell behind quite a bit there for awhile. It's one of those books where it's hard to power through a section because I found myself stoping and thinking about the last piece instead of continuing onto the next.

Scientists Anonymous : Great Stories of Women in Science by Patricia Fara

Fara isn't covering new ground with this short overview, but it is somewhat useful as a primer on the history of discrimination through the eras of scientific thought. Each chapter centers on the biographies of women whose contributions were overlooked or went unacknowledged from each of the major stages of scientific thought/growth. there are short introductions fro each chapter that kind of put the era into perspective, and hammers home the idea that women where thought to too dumb to practice science. These intros become redundant pretty fast and could have been summarized in the original opening better. Also, Fara plays pretty fast and loose with facts that both mostly to play up the positives of arguments and minimize the flaws in her argument or subjects. She certainly doesn't maintain a even handed approach, which in this case is actually alright sense the subject matter is controversial in nature. Even with all that said she doesn't come to all that radical of a conclusion on the current state of science and women.

From the two books I've read, I don't really care for Fara's style and how facts don't seem to play such an important role her historic approach I do learn something so I guess that has to count for something.

Origin: UK
Date Published: 2007
Pages: 213
Rating: ★★½

Sounds like a good idea for a book, but not an idea that this author handled well. Too bad.

The disappointment for me was somewhat lessened by the fact that I've read her stuff before and was prepared for her style and her gunslinger use of facts but I do wish there was a better treatment of the subject.

hmmm...I've been intrigued by her titles, such as Science: a Four Thousand Year History. Your comments a nice to know, but a bit disappointing too read. (I have trouble with certain kinds of popular and light takes on science history. I won't read Simon Winchester again, for example.) What is the other Fara book you have read?

Her other book I read was Science: a Four Thousand Year History, my take on it form 2011.

I tend to hold popular science writing in general to a higher standard than other the non-fiction, even if it is historical in nature, which probably isn't all that fair. It is impossible to know all that facts but speculation can only be tolerated if it is made absolutely transparent and not pass odd as a de facto truth.

149 well that's the thing isn't it? just seems like such a waste of work and good info. great review.

#152 - we had a whole conversation there that I have completely forgotten about. Good thing I have LT to remind what I was thinking.

Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut



I think I have work out why I haven't read more of Vonnegut despite all my friends recommendations and great reviews his books garner. And it's not for the usual suspects when it comes to why dislike authors/books like bad writing, giant plot holes, wooden characters, etc. What I don't like about Vonnegut is that it is just too damn easy to be that cynical.

Galápagos is a story of reverse evolution of humankind after a self inflicted apocalypse all related to our one major defect not shared by animal brethren, our Big Brains. See life would be simpler, kinder, and more angelic if it weren't for brains constantly getting in the way. A message the Vonnegut has constantly hammer home in every chapter, almost to remind us that our big brain might be getting in the way. It's not a bad story, and Vonnegut is clearly a seasoned writer. I just can't shake the feeling of that old man yelling at children to stay off his yard. It's hard to admit for a self professed sarcastic cynic like myself that perhaps Vonnegut can go a step too far.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 1985
Pages: 213
Rating: ★★½

Galapagos. Nice one stretch

Thanks Bas!

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark



The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie isn't a story of high dramatics or plot twists. Instead it is a story that develops slowly over time as a group of school girls, Brodie's chosen 'set' of the story, age and mature into young adults. I think the real focus of the story isn't so much about the Brodie set and their path to maturity, but is really about Jean Brodie with the girls playing their specific roles in the set without being all that important to the story itself.

Set in the 1930's Scotland Miss Jean Brodie is depicted as an ultra modern and liberated woman for her time. Although I think this is somewhat a false depiction considering that at one point she competes with two other women to do the domestic chores for a privileged man she professes she doesn't care for that much even. She does however hold all that attitudes for what passes for modern thought: a passion for art, music, dead languages, philosophy, and a pluralistic attitude towards religious faiths except for the Catholics, while also being simultaneously disparaging of all subjects practical (science, math, modern languages, etc.). She also holds a particularly favorable view of the various up and coming fascist groups taking hold in Europe. All these things are suppose to mark Miss Brodie as very European and unusual among the teaching profession for that time period. The European mindset leads to a different teaching method that mainly relies on story telling and exposure to the “proper” ways of thinking rather the route memorization of subjects like writing, math, and languages. This leaves her students clever but wholly under prepared for various end of term exams and life in general outside of the school grounds. Being different also makes her a target of scorn by her fellow teachers, requiring constant scheming and lies to abate the attention of her colleagues so she can run her own program. There is special attention paid to the grooming of Brodie's special set. With all this grooming and training she has created her own group fashioned on her venerated on fascists. In my pinion she made her set rather dull and boring until they began rebelling somewhat in their teens to become independent women of their own. It's actually this new found independence that Brodie can't control and ultimately ruins her.

This was a so-so read. Kind of a half dead poets society and Animal farm for fascism. They way it's written and it's topics making it a timely read for just about any generation. The lack of compelling characters, plot, or motivation doesn't make it particularly memorable nor noteworthy.

Origin: Scotland
Date Published: 1961
Pages: 160
Rating: ★★★

I have always avoided seeing the film and was curious to know what the book was about.

So two months gone and now I face the daunting task of trying to catch up. Just a quick back of the envelope calc. shows I'm well over a thousand posts behind. I apologize to all those whose threads i frequent, I'm never going to catch back up. The last two months have been something of a let down reading wise besides being stupid busy. Nothing really has caught on strong with me, did manage to finish three books so, mini reviews will be forth coming...

The Wisdom of John Muir by Anne Rowthorn



This is an LT Early Reviewer selection from almost a year and half ago. Better late than never?

Anyway, the Wisdom of John Muir is a collection of 100 or so selections/excerpts of John Muir's writings on nature and the environment. More or less in chronological order and with some introductory biographical notes by Rowthorn they kind of form a generalized outline of Muir's life and his contributions to nature preservation within this country.

The thing I learned about Muir is that while is prose about nature is beautifully poetic, I find it tedious and unhelpful when trying picture the scene in my mind. I mean Muir can paint word pictures like no other, but I like my nature more to the point without all the flowery language mucking it up. I also didn't find Rowthorn's contributions to be all that informative. They were often too short and lacked any real analysis that some of these passages begged for. But I do appreciate the way she organized this little book, because you get a really good insight into how Muir's thinking evolved overtime and changed with the reality. Overall not a bad book but one that left plenty of room for improvement.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2012
Pages: 200
Rating: ★★★½

On Parole by Akira Yoshimura



I royally screwed in reading this. Right in the middle of reading this I caved and read the Wiki page about this book that summarized the entire plot form beginning to end. It nearly ruined it for me and added a month to my reading. Luckily Yoshimura is such an awesome author that I still managed to enjoy the story as it unfolded even when I knew how it was going to end. (The ending of this book is very important so don't read plot summaries if you plan on picking this one up.)

The basic premise of the book is how does an institutionalized prisoner come to terms with the world they left behind once they are paroled. A secondary theme is does a guilty man come to terms with his crime. It's really a fascinating look into the psychology of a not only a man with a guilty conscious but someone who has to acclimate to a society they no longer are apart of. Parole in Japan is very different from that of the United States. But the stigma of prison life and the outcomes never the less seem the same. Even with a set seasoned sponsors readjusting to civilian life isn't a simple linear path that leads to forgiveness or freedom. Leaving the undressed problems that got you put in prison in the first place only leads to more trouble no matter how good your intentions may be.

Other than spoiling this book for myself I found it absolutely riveting. Like all his stories there isn't a whole lot of action to drive the plot. It's mostly an understated tension just waiting for the reveal. I love just about everything Yoshimura writes and this is no exception. Although I would say the characters in Shipwrecks and One's man Justice are easily my favorites of his works but this is easily as good.

Origin: Japan
Date Published: 1988
Pages: 256
Rating: ★★★★½

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

Not exactly life shattering philosophy here, but some solid principles to build off of. Already got the first chapters built in so check. Two minor bits I didn't care for but knew going in was the under valuation of knowledge for the sake of knowledge and the eventual must accept things on faith spitual stuff. Being a fact based kind of science guy and agnostic on the best of days these principles just tweak me the wrong way.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 1982
Pages: 176
Rating: ★★★★½

I was looking at On Parole last night on my shelves as being my potential next read. I ended up pulling Oe's Hiroshima Notes but still haven't committed to a decision. But I do want to read the Yoshimura soon. Granted, I want to read every book soon. But thanks for the warning about reading plot summaries. I'll make sure to avoid any reviews till I've read the book.

Interesting review of the Yoshimura. I loved his Shipwrecks and have Storm Rider on the TBR, but hadn't heard of On Parole and am now intrigued by it.

Parole goes on the WL.
LOL at lilisin - I want to read every book soon.

On Parole definitely sounds interesting. Good to read your posts again Stretch. Don't worry about the big catch-up too much - just step back in to the flow!

Yoshimura is one of my favorite authors (not limited to only Japanese authors). I think at this point I've read all of his fiction that has been translated.

While I was not aware of the plot when I read On Parole, I am someone who does not mind spoilers, so I don't think knowing the end would have affected me, particularly since, as you said, this book is a kind of psychological study of one man dealing with the consequences of the circumstances in which he finds himself.

Tanks everyone! On Parole is one of my best reads this year.

Yeah normally I can handle spoilers, but this time I wasn't quite far enough along to predict the outcome either bad or good. It was my fault for going of on a tangent and Googling the Japanese penal code!. By the way how great is the Google translate!?

I'm not 100% sold on the Japanese Parole system. On paper it seems like ideal rehab scenario, but statistically it's not much better than any other parole system. Then again crime statistics seem a bit fuzzy in Japan to begin with, which makes any real comparison confusing.

Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy by Bret Contreras



I am always on the lookout for a good book of basic exercises that don't need a lot of equipment since I travel a lot for my job. This book of body weight exercises fits the bill perfectly.

The exercises in this book are well organized by muscle group and each exercise is described in detail with ideas on how to ramp it up. Also, each exercise has a transparent human performing the exercise showing exactly what muscles should be worked. A very helpful addition that confirms if they are being done correctly. At the end of the book is chart showing all the exercises and which muscle groups are being worked with few basic workouts to accomplish your goals. There are no strict workouts here, but this book provides you the basic structure of a workout and plenty of exercises to design your own.

Body weight exercises are not going to add bulk, but if you are looking to stay in shape this book is not a bad start

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2013
Pages: 224
Rating: ★★★★½

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb



The only nice thing I can say about The Hour I First Believed is that it is ambitious about a difficult subject matter - the Columbine Massacre and PTSD. However, the weaving of additional sub-plots of addiction, broken relationships, painful childhoods, forgiveness, and the forging of new romantic interests just kills any meaningful discourse on PTSD or the shooting. Broken into three parts the first and most compelling portion of the book covers the Columbine shooting itself with actual passages taken from the shooters own words. That was a strange sentence to write. The other two parts are suppose to be about the difficulties dealing with and the recovery from survivors guilt/PTSD. But here the book goes off the rails and manders from sub-plot to the next rendering the first part and the main plot as backdrop for Lamb's other musings. I can't escape the feeling that the Japanese authors have read have done just as much as Lamb has here but managed to do it about a fifth of the length.

I also think that there needs to be a dreaded, slightly decretory tone saying for literary fiction about unnecessary but detailed biographical stories of characters like there is for the "info dump" in science fiction. Complex biographical back stories that adds nothing to the plot, doesn't add complexity to the characters, it just bores the readers and shows how shallow the characterization is in the first place. The weird thing is that this biographical detail wasn't needed at all, the characters were already fully fleshed out with sides to their lives that weren't directly tied to moving the plot forward. Not one of the better reads of the year.

Origin: USA
Date Published: 2008
Pages: 768
Rating: ★★½

171 - I like that review.

I know there are a lot of reviews posted on the Lamb book but I think yours would still add something if you post it.

>173 mkboylan:. And so it is done. Thanks!

It's just always so intriguing to see the different views on books isn't it? Don't you wonder sometimes if all the reviewers read the same book? Well of course no one reads the same book I guess.

It really is. I guess it all comes down to what we choose to remember and what we choose emphasize. I wonder if authors are ever surprised by the take of an average reader taking something a direction they didn't expect?

Good review of The Hour I First Believed. Pity you value it so lowly. It's on my shelf and dauntingly thick.

Thanks for the review of the body weight exercises; I'm going to look for it as I get plenty of aerobic exercise but could definitely add some weight type exercises to that.

I'm finally catching up on a few months of your reading, stretch. Interesting comments on the Scientists Anonymous book. The only book I've read (actually skimmed) that even comes close to this subject matter is one called Has Feminism Changed Science, which, if I remember correctly, answered "no" for some sciences, and "yes" for others. Here it is on Google books.

I haven't read much SF recently, though may start a book I read about on Adam Roberts' list of best 2013 SF in The Guardian. It's called What Lot's Wife Saw. It interested me because the book is translated from the Greek and written by a woman. It's an intriguing list.

>Edwin, that's the part I hate about writing negative reviews. My intention is not turn you off to Wally Lamb, becuase what I've gathered from other reviews this is one of his best. For me though it just didn't work, my tastes have been altered y club read over the years. Three years ago this would have been a home run.

>Rebecca, I like the body weight exercises because they are great way to add weight training to my occasional running. It's not great way to bulk up, but I find it helps maintain a certain level fitness pretty well.

>Lois, that sounds much more like what I was looking to get out of the Fara book. I've looked into some of the others with this kind of subject, but I'm afraid of the post-modern slant they all took. Post-modernism theories on science make my blood boil more than creationist. Thanks for the suggestion. And What Lot's Wife Saw sounds fascinating, If you do get around to it, I'll look forward tto your review.

I guess it's time for the 2013 Reading Stats:

Vitals:

Total Number of Books = 33 (Pace = 2.75)

Fiction = 15
Non-Fiction = 12
Other = 6

Total Number of Pages = 8,290 Average = 251
TBR Status = -8.1 % decreasecrease (99 books last year)

Author Demographics:

Male = 18
Female = 8
Mixed = 2
New to Me = 19

More than 1 book: Terry Pratchett (2), Kurt Vonnegut (3), Akira Yoshimura (2)

Country of Origin:

U.S. = 18
U.K. = 3
Japan = 2
Afghanistan = 1
France = 1
Australia = 1
Palestine = 1
Scotland = 1
Ireland = 1

Publication Year:

2010+ = 13
2000-2009 = 7
1990-1999 = 4
1980-1989 = 4
Pre-1980 = 5

Ratings:

| 5 = 5
| 4.5 = 6
| 4 = 3
| 3.5 = 4
| 3 = 3
| 2.5 = 10
| 2 = 1
| 1.5 = 1

Average = 3.50
42.4 % Rated 4 stars or higher
21.2 % Rated between 3 & 4 stars
33.3 % Rated below 3 stars

Favorites of 2013:

1st Quarter:
(nf) Thinking About the Earth: A History of Ideas in Geology by David Oldroyd
(nf) The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski
(nf) Salvador by Joan Didion
(f)The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

2nd Quarter:
(nf) Seeking Palestine: New Palestinian Writing on Exile and Home by Penny Johnson
(f) One Man's Justice by Akira Yoshimura
(f) The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell
(nf) Rough-Hewn Land: A Geologic Journey from California to the Rocky Mountains by Keith Heyer Meldahl

3rd Quarter:
(nf) Bedrock: Writers on the Wonders of Geology by Lauret E. Savoy, Eldridge M. Moores, and Judith E. Moores

4th Quarter:
(f) On Parole by Akira Yoshimura

Honorable Mentions:
(nf) The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
(f) Going Bovine by Libba Bray
(f) When she Woke by Hillary Jordan

Thoughts:

I dropped out of reading in the second half of the year for some reason so I didn't com close to reading the number of books I wanted to nor did I reach my silent goal of at least 10,000 pages. However, all was not lost the 1st half of the year was excellent and I did reduce the TBR pile by 8%.

Next year I hope to continue to add more women to the mix again and actually finish a few books I start for a change.